El Pollo Loco restaurant chain to open Riverdale location

RIVERDALE — El Pollo Loco may not be as popular in Utah as it is in California and a few other states, but it’s clearly growing.

The restaurant chain will soon have two more stores in Utah, including one in Riverdale, bringing its total number of Utah locations to eight. This will be the chain’s first location north of Salt Lake City. The other store currently in the preparation stage is in Sandy.

“This restaurant in particular, there’s a lot of excitement for, I think,” said Michael Eggett, community development director for Riverdale City. “I think there’s individuals that have frequented this establishment and they’re looking forward to it. I myself am excited for it.”

“First, we marinate fresh, whole chickens in a special recipe of herbs, spices, fruit juices and garlic. The whole chickens are then fire-grilled, hand-cut, and served with our chicken meals, burritos, salads, soups, tacos and quesadillas. And if that’s not enough, we apply that same passion to our handmade guacamole, salsas and dressings every day.”

Eggett said he couldn’t provide an exact date for when the store will open because it depends on certain variables like weather and how quickly the project manager works.

The Riverdale store will be located at 899 W. Riverdale Road inside Riverdale Town Square.

According to Eggett, El Pollo Loco received its site plan approval over a year ago. The building permit was issued about a month ago.

According to its website, El Pollo Loco will have 499 locations in the country after all the currently planned locations are finished. The chain started in Los Angeles in 1980, and 390 of its stores — either already built or soon-to-be-built — are located in California. El Pollo Loco has also spread into Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Louisiana, in addition to Utah, according to its website.